Happy 450th Birthday, Shakespeare!

The Droeshout Engraving of Shakespeare

It's Shakespeare's 450th birthday! I don't know why there's no Google Doodle for this momentous occasion, but - there you have it. Or, rather, you don't. Because there's not one.

If you don't know who Shakespeare is, how exactly did you pull that one off? Anyway, you can check out his biography and/or his bibliography. You can also check out these 10 things you didn't know about Shakespeare and contemplate 13 everyday phrases that actually came from Shakespeare. In much more recent news, we may have discovered Shakespeare's personal dictionary - how cool is that? For a better look at it, check out Shakespeare's Beehive. Today is also, er, that anniversary of his death, at 52 years old.

You can also take a quiz to see which Shakespearean hero - or heroine - you are.  (I got Beatrice. I'm not surprised.)

In addition, tonight is World Book Night! If I could, I would give you all a book. I can't. Sorry. But I can link you to Shakespeare's Sonnets, which is almost as good!

Happy reading, everyone!

Links!

• F.C.C., in ‘Net Neutrality’ Turnaround, Plans to Allow Fast Lane: Well, that sucks...If you aren't sure what net neutrality is or why you should care, here's a good place to start learning. I'm sure I'll be posting more on this topic over the next day or so.
• Do You Ever Own Your E-Books? Short answer: No. Longer answer: No - you're just renting them, until such time as the "seller" decides not to give you access anymore. If you really, really want to keep that book, then, you should probably buy it in print format - or look for a DRM-free copy. If you don't want to keep it forever, why are you spending almost as much (in most cases) as for a physical copy? Check first to see if you can borrow the e-book from your local library for free!
• More Than A Fifth Of America’s Children Are Going Hungry: In Louisiana, the rate is 16.9%. We have to do better than this, people. You can check out your state's rate (and your county/parish's rate, as well). Check out ways to help, too.
• Religious post: On Sunday, two former popes will be canonized. One of my new favorite writers, Fr. James Martin, SJ, has written on the question, "Do we still need saints?"
• Putnisite is pretty and weird. I like it.